HFF!

Last Sunday my husband and I went for a drive on Amherst Island. We
had never been there before and so thought we'd check it out. Emily
(eRachel11) had gone there in the winter on a bird photography
workshop hoping to capture some images of owls. We met up for dinner
one evening and had a really nice visit. She's all the way from
Alabama and so I figured it was time I check out what was in my own
backyard. Some of the road sides were covered with these purple
flowers, it was quite beautiful. Anyway, we had a nice Sunday
afternoon drive.

Sunday our daughter Charissa comes home, we can't wait to pick her up
and see her! She's been in Oregon for the last eleven weeks working
at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch. She's home for a week to attend her
graduation from high school and then will head back to Oregon for
another 5 months. It'll be nice to have her home for a week.

I live on Amherst Island, Ontario, where Great Grey Owls (as well as Snowies, Short-eareds, Boreals, Barreds, Saw-Whets, etc.) are seen regularly in winter. Last Thursday 22 Short-eared owls were spotted on my property. Owls are SO amazing.

I'd very much like your, and others', help in spreading the word about a serious problem for all birds on Amherst Island.

Amherst Island, as you may know, is a world-renowned IBA on a major bird migration route.

An industrial wind farm is in the paper/planning stage for Amherst Island. (There is also a wind farm planned for Ostrander Point, Prince Edward County - another major migratory bird route.)

If the industrial wind turbine farm is built on Amherst Island as the wind developer would like (but not 9/10 of the island's residents) this may be the last chance to see Short-eared Owls, Snowy Owls, Boreal Owls, Great Grey Owls, etc. alive instead of dead at the base of turbines.

Neighboring Wolfe Island has the deadliest bird kill rate in Canada and the second deadliest in north America.

How can you help? By spreading the word to other birders and by writing to the politicians (below), some of whom are condoning the slaughter. (A quick way is to cut & paste your letter into different emails.)

Those who are supporting the wind farm in this Important Bird Areas include:Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario dmcguinty.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org Andrea Horwath, Head of the NDP ahorwath-qp@ndp.on.ca Sean Fairfield, Manager of Environmental Planning for Algonquin Power (the would-be wind developer) Sean.Fairfield@algonquinpower.com